WPD supports rural vulnerability research

A report published this week and backed by us, examines whether living in a rural area has an impact on customer vulnerability from a public utilities’ perspective and whether utilities can improve their Priority Services Register (PSR) support. 

The research, by the Countryside and Community Research Institute and Rural England CIC, was co-sponsored by WPD, Cadent, GEUK, Southern Water, Wales & West Utilities and Defra (the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). 

It found that while rural residents tended to report that they lived in stronger communities than their urban counterparts and felt they had considerable resilience and capacity to cope with a disruption to utilities, they were more likely to be older, with less access to the internet and have further to travel to reach local amenities. In addition, the average fuel poverty gap – the reduction in spending required to take a household out of fuel poverty – is £690 in rural areas, more than double the national average of £334 for fuel-poor households, reflecting higher utility bills in rural housing.

Stakeholder Engagement Manager Richard Allcock said: “This excellent collaborative research reinforces the importance of the support we and other networks already offer and confirms an ongoing need to keep expanding PSR support to reach customers that are eligible and would benefit from the service.

“We will use the findings to increase the effectiveness of our targeted support for rural PSR customers and continue to increase PSR awareness and reach.  The PSR also acts as a useful pathway for potentially vulnerable households to access support in other areas that may impact them, including fuel poverty, where we can offer support through a network of expert partnerships.”

The research found that one of the main challenges for utilities was how quickly a customer’s circumstances could change, leaving people who were confident about disruptions suddenly vulnerable.

We will continue to help vulnerable customers in rural areas and new activities planned include working with parish councils and churches to spread the word about the PSR; offering practical advice about coping with utility disruptions in ways that don’t require mobile phone or internet connection, and identifying innovative approaches to providing support.

The full report: Exploring Rural Vulnerability from a Public Utilities’ Perspective is available here.